Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume II, Part 23

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed; Adams, William Frederick, 1848-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 1008

USA > Massachusetts > Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume II > Part 23

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

LINCOLN The ancient Britons founded a city on the summit of a hill, near the river Lindis, Eng- land, from which the surname Lincoln was de- rived Then came the Roman conquest, and the name was changed to Lindum Colonia. Subsequent races corrupted the name into Lindocolina, as used by Beda, the most vener- able scholar of the seventh century, and into Lindkylne and Lincolle, as found in the Saxon chronicles of the twelfth century. Alured, the ancestor from whom the surname Lincoln has been inherited, went from Normandy to England with William the Conqueror in 1066. He established himself in the settlement by the river Lindis, became identified with the place, and became known as Alured de Lin- coln. The name has since then become more common in America than in England. Fifty years ago Guppy found only nine to every ten

thousand persons in county Essex, and only ten in the county of Norfolk, England. Alured de Lincoln held a great barony in Lincoln and Bedford in 1086. Nicol is the Norman equiva- lent for Lincoln, and Alured de Lincoln had his lands and titles preserved to him by having married a Norman woman.

(I) Thomas Lincoln, immigrant ancestor of this branch of the family, settled in Hing- ham, Massachusetts, where he was a proprietor in 1636. He was a cooper by trade. A large part of his homestead still remains in the family. It was afterwards the home of Gen- eral Benjamin Lincoln, who after serving in the revolution, was in President Washington's cabinet, and lieutenant-governor of Massa- chusetts in 1788. Thomas Lincoln married, in 1630, Annis or (Avith) Lane, daughter of Andrew Lane ( Pope says William) of Dor- chester. She died February 13 or 14, 1682-3. He died in Hingham, September 28, 1691. His will was proved October 27, 1692. Children (dates of baptism) : I. Thomas, May 6, 1638. 2. Joseph, November 20, 1640. 3. Benjamin, May 7, 1643; mentioned below. 4. Deborah, August 3, 1645 ; married, June 13, 1678, Sam- uel Thaxter. 5. Sarah, October 5, 1650.

(II) Benjamin, son of Thomas Lincoln, was baptized at Hingham, May 7, 1643, and died September 27, 1700. He married, Febru- ary 6, 1667, Sarah Fearing, born July 29, 1649, daughter of John and Margaret Fearing, who came from Cambridge, England, in the ship "Diligent," in 1648; her father was constable in Hingham, 1650; selectman, 1648; deacon; died May 14, 1665. Children: I. John, born January 5, 1667. 2. Margaret, October 7, 1669. 3. Benjamin, January 16, 1671. 4. Thomas, December 12, 1674 ; mentioned below. 5. Jeremiah, April 1, 1682. 6. Jonathan, Sep- tember 29, 1684. 7. Sarah, August 7, 1687.

(III) Thomas (2), son of Benjamin Lin- coln, was born in Hingham, December 12, 1674. He settled in Harwich, Massachusetts. He married, November 7, 1695, Rachel Holmes. Children: 1. Rachel, born November 8, 1696; married, February 13, 1717, Benjamin Hop- kins. 2. Thomas, born 1700 ; mentioned below. 3. Sarah, born April 1, 1702; married Jabez Lewis, of Barnstable. 4. Nathaniel, born July 6, 1704; married Hannah Asten.

(IV) Thomas (3), son of Thomas (2) Lin- coln, was born in Hingham, in 1700, and died in Rochester, June 15, 1730. He married, in 1725, Sarah, daughter of Major Edward Winslow. (See Winslow). She married (second) May 3, 1731, James Whitcomb, as

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his fourth wife, and was living in Warren as late as 1771, when her dower was assigned to her. Children: 1. Seth, born February 10, 1726; mentioned below. 2. Mehitable, June 30, 1727. 3. Rachel, May 3, 1729.

(V) Seth, son of Thomas (3) Lincoln, was born in Rochester, Massachusetts, February 10, 1726, and died in Warren, in 1793. He married Lucy Paige. (See Paige). Children : Seth, Jr., Thomas, Asa, Levi, Thankful, Lucy, Sally.

(VI) Seth (2), son of Seth (1) Lincoln, was born in Warren, 1754, and died December I, 1826. He settled in Warren, and married, in 1779, Jemima, daughter of Major Jacob and Jerusha Miller, of Holliston. Her father was born in Holland, and came in his youth to New England ; settled on the Milford road in Holliston ; was an officer in the revolution, and had command of the castle after the evacua- tion of Boston. Children : Harvey, Lucy, Ivers, Colonel Warren (mentioned below), Fannie, Increase Sumner.

(VII) Colonel Warren, son of Seth (2) Lincoln, was born 1791 ; died 1862. He was a gentleman of wealth and influence. He mar- ried Dolly, daughter of Noah Warriner, a lineal descendant of William Warriner, who came to Springfield in 1638, and of Lieutenant Noah Warriner. Children: 1. William, born June 19, 1814; mentioned below. 2. Albert Warren, born 1819. 3. Charlotte, born 1821 ; married David Kimball. 4. Eliza, born 1823; married Danforth Keyes.

(VIII) William, son of Colonel Warren Lincoln, was born in Warren, June 19, 1814, and died August 12, 1883. He married, April 18, 1838, Elizabeth Bucknam Ellis, daughter of Captain Shepard and Abigail (Arnold) Ellis. Mrs. Lincoln was a lineal descendant of the most distinguished colonial families in America. Her great-great-grandmother, Anna Shepard-Quincy, was Abigail Smith-Adams's great-grandmother, and Dorothy Quincy-Han- cock's aunt. Mrs. Lincoln was also descended from William Tyng, of Boston, and the Fran- ces Peabody and Reginald Foster families, of Massachusetts. Mrs. Lincoln's mother was descended from Benedict Arnold, who with Coddington, purchased of the Indians the island of Quonoquat, afterward called James- town.

Children of William Lincoln: I. Harriet Eliza, born July 5, 1840; married, February 3, 1862, Samuel Prince Robbins, who died July 17, 1884. 2. Mary Warren, born August 3,

1843; married, September 19, 1865, Colonel Stephen Cady Warriner (see Warriner ) ; died July 28, 1877. 3. William Ellis, born March 8, 1845; married, November 4, 1868, Carolyn E. Dickinson ; prominent in Warren and Wor- cester in fire insurance circles. 4. Frances Warriner, born September 24, 1847; died De- cember 14, 1902; married (first) September 6, 1871, Charles A. Houghton, who died Janu- ary 28, 1872; (second) December 4, 1872, George A. Homer, who died March 12, 1877: (third) June 22, 1881, Willis I. Twitchell; son, Reuel Lincoln Twitchell, born December 25, 1885. 5. Charles Smith, born October 12, 1854; married, 1874, Emily A. Hitchcock; daughter, Mary Emily, born October 6, 1878 (educated at Bradford academy; married, June, 1897, James Walter Freeman, and died July 20, 1905). 6. Ida Marrian, born June 28, 1858; educated at Bradford Academy ; married, October 4, 1882, Colonel Stephen Cady Warriner.

(The Paige Line).

Nathaniel Paige, immigrant ancestor, was probably a brother of Nicholas Paige, or Page, who settled in the Plymouth colony. He came from England to Roxbury about 1685. The earliest record is his deposition record in Suf- folk Deeds (xiii, 470), that March 10, 1685, he saw Joseph Dudley take possession of cer- tain real estate in Billerica in behalf of Daniel Cox, of Aldergate street, London. On the organization of the new government June 2, 1686, he was appointed one of the two marshals or sheriffs of Suffolk county. He bought land and settled in Billerica in the part now in Bedford, Massachusetts, by deed from George Grimes, in 1688. He was one of the eight original purchasers from the Indians Decem- ber 27, 1686, of what is now the town of Hard- wick. A month later the same persons, to- gether with Ralph Bradhurst, in like manner bought the territory now embraced in the town of Spencer and Leicester. The inventory of his estate shows that he was a man of wealth. His lands at Billerica and wild lands near Quaboag ( Brookfield) and Worcester he de- vised to his two sons; the two hundred acres of land in Dedham, near Neponset Bridge, which he bought of the Indians in 1687, to his two daughters in equal shares. He died in Bos- ton, April 12, 1692. He married Joanna -

Children: 1. Nathaniel, born about 1679; married (first) November 6, 1701, Susannah Lane ; (second) 1745, Mary Grimes. 2. Eliz-

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abeth, married John Simpkin. 3. Sarah, mar- ried Samuel Hill. 4. James, died young. 5. Christopher, mentioned below.

(II) Christopher, son of Nathaniel Paige, was born in 1690. He settled in Hardwick, Massachusetts ; was selectman seven years ; assessor five years; moderator at all town meetings until 1761 ; first deacon of church, 1736-49. He died March 10, 1774. He mar- ried, May 23, 1720, Eliza, daughter of George Reed, Jr., of Woburn, granddaughter of the George and Elizabeth (Jennison) Reed. Eliz- abeth Jennison was daughter of Robert Jenni- son, of Watertown. William Reed, father of George Reed, Sr., was born in England, in 1587 ; married Mabel Kendall, and they sailed from London in the ship "Defence," 1635, set- tled at Dorchester, Scituate and Woburn, Massachusetts ; returned to England and died at Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1656. Sir Thomas and Mary (Cornwall) Reed, were parents of Will- iam Reed. Mary Cornwall was of Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire. The paternal grand father of Sir Thomas Reed was clerk of the Green Cloth and his maternal grandfather was Lord of Shropshire. George Reed, Jr., born 1660, was a large land holder ; his wife Abigail was granddaughter of Thomas Pierce, born in England, 1583-4, died October 7, 1666, settled in Charlestown, Massachusetts. Thomas Pierce, Jr., father of Abigail ( Pierce) Reed, was born in 1608; married, May 6, 1635, Elizabeth Cole ; resided in Charlestown village, now Woburn; called sergeant in the records ; selectman, and held other town offices and trusts. Abigail (Pierce) Reed's brother was ancestor of Presi- dent Franklin Pierce.

Children of Christopher Paige: I. Joanna, born August 10, 1717. 2. Christopher, June II, 1721. 3. William, May 2, 1723. 4. George, June 17, 1725. 5. Timothy, May 24, 1727. 6. Jonas, September 19, 1729. 7. Elizabeth, Oc- tober 3, 1731 ; died young. 8. Lucy, February 22, 1733-4; married, October 10, 1750, Seth Lincoln, born 1726 (see Lincoln) ; he died 1793, and she married (second) Tyler, and died September 1, 1821. 9. Nathaniel, May 12, 1736. 10. John, July 6, 1738.

(The Winslow Line).

(VIII) Kenelm Winslow, son of Kenelm Winslow (see William Winslow I), was born about 1635, at Plymouth, and died November II, 1715, at Harwich, in his seventy-ninth year, according to his gravestone. He removed to Cape Cod, and settled at Yarmouth, afterwards Harwich, and now Brewster, Massachusetts.

His home was on the west border of the town- ship, now called West Brewster, Satucket, or Winslow's Mills. In records he was called "Colonel Winslow, planter or yeoman." He bought large tracts of wild land in what is now Rochester, on which several of his chil- dren settled. The water privilege still remains in the family. In 1699 he deeded it to his son Kenelm, and in 1873 it was owned by William T. Winslow, of West Brewster. Kenelm Winslow bought of George Dennison, of Stonington, Connecticut, one thousand acres of land in Windham, later Mansfield, March II, 1700, for thirty pounds. He gave land, October 7, 1700, to his son Samuel, who sold it to his brother Kenelm, but neither lived in Windham. On October 3, 1662, he was fined ten shillings for "riding a journey on the Lord's day," yet he rode sixty miles to Scitu- ate on three occasions to have a child baptized in the Second Church there-for Kenelm in 1668, Josiah in 1670, and Thomas in 1672. He was on the committee to seat the meeting house October 4, 1714. He married, Septem- ber 23, 1667, Mercy Worden, born about 1641, died September 22, 1688, daughter of Peter and Mercy Worden, of Yarmouth. Her grave- stone is in the Winslow graveyard at Dennis. It is of hard slate from England, and is the oldest stone in the yard. The burying ground is near the road leading from Nebscusset to Satucket, a short distance from the Brewster line. He married (second) Damaris

who was living as late as March 27, 1729. His will was dated January 10, 1712, and proved December 28, 1715. Children of first wife: I. Kenelm, baptized August 9, 1668. 2. Josiah, born November 7, 1690; died April 3, 1761 ; married (first) Margaret Tisdale; (second) Mrs. Hannah Winslow; (third) Mrs. Hannah Booth; ( fourth) Mary Jones. 3. Thomas, baptized March 3, 1672-3 ; died April 6, 1689. 4. Samuel, born about 1674; married (first) Bethia Holbrook; (second) Mercy King; (third) Ruth Briggs. 5. Mercy, born about 1676; married (first) Meletiah White; (sec- ond) Thomas Jenkins. 6. Nathaniel, born 1679; married July 9, 1701, Elizabeth Hol- brook. 7. Edward, born January 30, 1680-I ; mentioned below. Children of second wife: 8. Damaris, married, July 30, 1713, Jonathan Small. 9. Elizabeth, married, August 9, 17II, Andrew Clark. 10. Eleanor, married, March 25. 1719, Samuel Hamblen. II. John, born about 1701 ; married, March 15, 1721-2, Bethia Andrews.

(IX) Major Edward, son of Kenelm Wins-

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low, was born January 30, 1680-1, and died June 25, 1760. He lived in Rochester, where he was selectman in 1716, town clerk and town treasurer 1723-27, also justice of the peace. He married Sarah , born 1682, died October 11, 1767. Children: 1. Edward, born November 6, 1706; died May 7, 1780. 2. Mehitable, born May 6, 1705 ; married, Febru- ary 12, 1722, Colonel Thomas Winslow. 3. Sarah, born 1707; married Thomas Lincoln (see Lincoln ). 4. Lydia, born September 8, 1709; died January 7, 1770; married Deacon James Foster. 5. Mercy, born September II, 1712; married, October 10, 1730, Chilling- worth Foster, Jr. 6. Thankful, born April 2, 1715 ; died October 2, 1758; married, April 10, 1735, Josephus Harriman.

McCLENCH This very rare name is claimed traditionally to have been first brought to New

England by three brothers who made the hinges for the pew doors of the first church built on Cape Ann. An extended search of the books on genealogy fails to disclose any- thing beyond slight mention of any person in New England pre-Revolutionary times bear- ing this patronymic. It seems, however, that the immigrant ancestor of the family of this article was one of the Scotch-Irish settlers of Southern New Hampshire.

(I) John McClench is said to have been one of three brothers who came from Glasgow, Scotland, and settled in New England. John McClench was a resident of Merrimack, New Hampshire; his name is seventeenth on the list of selectmen of that town, and it is prob- able that he held the office before the revolu- tion, but there is nothing in the published rec- ord giving a clue as to the year in which he served. John McClench married (first) a Miss Riddle, of Bedford; the name of the second wife does not appear. Children of first wife: John, Joseph and Rachel ; of sec- ond wife: Samuel and Nancy.

(II) John (2), eldest child of John and ( Riddle ) McClench, was a lieutenant- colonel in the New Hampshire militia in the war of 1812. He died at the age of seventy- four, and was buried at Fayette, Maine. He married Sarah, daughter of Captain Solomon Hutchinson, of Bedford, New Hampshire, a direct descendant of Governor Hutchinson. She died at the age of eighty-three, and was buried at Fayette. Children : Sarah, Lucinda, Abigail, John, Joseph U., Elizabeth, Mary, Susannah and Benjamin F.

(III) Joseph Underwood, second son of John (2) and Sarah ( Hutchinson) McClench, was born in Fayette, Maine, August 22. 1813, and died in Chicopee, Massachusetts, Decem- ber 9, 1895. He grew up in Fayette, where he divided his time until he was twenty-one. between attending school and laboring on his father's farm. On attaining his majority he went to Boston, where he was employed as a clerk in a hotel. He went to Chicopee, Massa- chusetts, in 1837, when the great industries of that place were being started, and when Chico- pee was a part of Springfield, known as Cabot- ville, and there engaged in business as a retail dealer in meats and ice. He gave close atten- tion to his vocation, kept up with the times, and had a large patronage. He sold out in 1887, after being in business a half century. He was always alive to the concerns of the town, and had a keen interest in public affairs generally. For two or three years he was chief engineer of the fire department of Chicopee. and was also one of the assessors of the town. In his young manhood he was a member of the Whig party, and later a Republican. He was a member of the Universalist church, senior deacon of that organization at Chicopee, and for many years he was chairman of the standing committee of that church. He was a Free Mason, and for many years an Odd Fellow. He was fond of reading, the Bible and books of poetry being his favorite studies. He was a man of mild and genial tempera- ment, sympathetic and generous to the poor, and thousands of dollars stood uncollected on his books because he was too tender hearted to exact payment from those who were pinch- ed by poverty or distressed by sickness. Joseph U. McClench married, in Chicopee, January 5, 1845, Mary Ann Johnson (see Johnson) , born in East Weare, New Hampshire, Decem- ber 14, 1819, and died in Springfield, Massa- chusetts, September 5, 1908. She went to Chicopee at the age of thirteen, in 1833. She was a woman of excellent common sense and retentive memory, who was much respected among her acquaintances. For two years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. McClench lived in New York City, where their first child was born. January 5, 1895, they celebrated their golden wedding at the home of their son, Will- iam W. McClench, at Chicopee. Children : John W., Joseph F., Cora Belle and William Wallace, next mentioned.

(IV) William Wallace, youngest child of Joseph U. and Mary A. (Johnson) McClench, was born at Chicopee, Massachusetts, April 6,

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1854. He attended the public schools, and graduated from the high school June 23, 1871, delivering the Greek oration at graduating. In the following fall he entered Tufts College, from which he graduated A. B. in 1875. He taught at the Hitchcock Free Academy, at Brimfield, one year, and was principal of the Ware high school one year. While teaching he devoted his spare time to the reading of law, and in 1877 entered the office of Stearns, Knowlton & Long, in Springfield, and was admitted to the Hampden county bar in Octo- ber. 1878. Soon after this Mr. Stearns re- moved to Chicopee, and there Mr. McClench also went, and they occupied the same office and were associated together for the eleven years next following. In 1889 Mr. McClench removed his office to Springfield, still retaining his residence in Chicopee, and became a mem- ber of the firm of Wells, McClench & Barnes, his partners being Judge Gideon Wells and Jonathan Barnes. This arrangement continued till 1893, and in January of that year F. H. Gillett, member of congress from the second Massachusetts district, and W. W. McClench became partners in the law under the firm name of Gillett & McClench, and were asso- ciated in that relation till 1898. From 1893 to 1898 Mr. McClench was associated with Judge Wells as associate counsel for the Massachu- setts Mutual Life Insurance Company. At the latter date Mr. McClench was appointed to succeed Judge Wells, at his death, as general counsel for the company, and has since dis- charged the duties of that position. He was elected a director in 1899, second vice-presi- dent in 1905, and October 28, 1908, was elected president upon the death of John A. Hall. His rise as a lawyer and business man to two of the highest positions in the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company is due to his natural ability, thorough training, laborious industry, staunch integrity and unfailing reliability.

Mr. McClench cast his first vote for the nominees of the Republican party, and has filled many public offices. For several years he was chairman of the school board of Chico- pee, and also a member of the board of regis- trars of voters. He was associate justice of the police court of Chicopee for some years, and in 1890 was the Democratic nominee for mayor, but was defeated by an older man. The following year he received the nomination of both the great parties and was unanimously elected the second mayor of the city. In 1884 Mr. McClench joined the Democratic party. A

warm admirer of Grover Cleveland, he sup- ported him for election upon the stump, and until 1892 was a staunch adherent of that party. In the latter year he could not con- scientiously indorse the free silver platform, and has since given his support to the Repub- lican party. He has participated actively in all the state and national campaigns since he be- came a voter. In 1892 he was the Democratic candidate for district attorney for the Western District, comprising Hampden and Berkshire counties. He is a member of many business and other organizations, among which are the following : Director of Chapin National Bank, and Hampden Trust Company : member and ex-president of Springfield Board of Trade ; member of Phi Beta Kappa and Zeta Psi societies, the American Historical Association, the American Academy of Political and Social Science, and the American Bar Association. By appointment of the supreme judicial court of Massachusetts he was a delegate to the Universal Congress of Lawyers and Jurists at St. Louis in 1904. For several years he was a bar examiner. He is a member of the Republican Club : Chicopee Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; and for two years was a member of the Supreme Lodge, Knights of Honor, as a representative from Massachu- setts. He is connected with the Unitarian Society, of Springfield.

William W. McClench married, December 8, 1880, Katherine Amanda Hill, born in Chico- pee, December 8, 1858, only daughter of Syl- vester Bradley and Catherine A. (Blauvelt) Hill, of Chicopee. The father, born in Alex- andria, New Hampshire, is one of the most prominent business men in the place, and for many years was connected, as contractor and otherwise, with the Ames Manufacturing Com- pany; the mother was born in Nyack, New York. Mrs. McClench is a member of the Woman's Club, the Cosmopolitan Club, and is regent of Mercy Warren Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The children of this union are: I. Marion Hill, born December 5, 1881 ; graduate of Smith College, class of 1903, president of the College Club, Springfield, and member of Mercy War- ren Chapter, Daughters of the American Revo- lution. 2. Cora Christine, born November 3. 1886; also attended Smith College ; is a mem- ber of Mercy Warren Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. 3. Donald, born March 9, 1895.

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This name has been variously

CORLISS spelled in England, Corlas, Corilesse and Corlies. The patronymic originally belonged to a noble family in Belgium, and appeared in Great Brit- ain about the middle of the seventeenth cen- tury, when Jean, Count de Corlies, was sent into exile for his religious opinions. John Fuller, in his tract called "Sacrifices made for God-His Truth," published in 1654, names the Count de Corlies as among the illustrious of the reformers of that time. How this brave protestant was regarded in his native land may be seen by this extract from "L'Histoire de Liege," par le Prince Charles de Ligne :

"The indiscreet countenance afforded by the Count de Corlies to the enemies of the Church, who at this time sought to put down the Cath- olic faith under the wicked presumption of 'reformation to its rites and doctrines,' left no doubt upon the minds of those wise men con- ducting the affairs of the country, that De Corlies had secretly adopted the damning heresies of those misguided people. Those who were well affected to our Church, could not be brought to look upon De Corlies but as the descendant of the renowned Reginald de Corlies who so nobly and faithfully preached the Cross at the Second Crusade, and was standard-bearer of the Brabant Knights at the siege of Jerusalem. That the descendants of him whose very armorial bearings denote that he had fixed his 'Holy Cross upon the Rock of Zion,' surrounding it by the 'Emblem of Eter- nity,' should desert the faith for which his illustrious ancestor had devoted a holy and unstained life, was more than the people could be brought to believe. But this cruel fact was too plainly shown to the citizens of Liege by his precipitate flight with his wife and two sons, and taking refuge in that land of heretics, England. On the 25th of February, 1641, Jean, Count de Corlies, was summoned to appear before the Grand Council, then sitting at Ghent, to answer for the aid he had given to the enemies of God's church ; when, instead of appearing and defending himself, he de- clared his conformity to the heretical doctrines and fled, thus leading too many to the loss of their eternal souls through his example."

In the escutcheon of the de Corlies family to which this history refers, are two tilting spears with pennons attached, each charged with a cross of gold. The motto is: "Sub cruce, spes mea"-Under the cross is my hope.

(I) George Corliss, first American represent- ative of this ancient family, was born in the

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Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume II, Part 23

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed; Adams, William Frederick, 1848- Publication date: 1910 Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company Number of Pages: 1008

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed; Adams, William Frederick, 1848-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 1008